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Louisville's neighborhoods conjure up too many stereotypes to count. You've got hipster areas, preppy places, neighborhoods where college kids thrive, and of course, ghettos.
It seems as if there's a neighborhood for everyone in Louisville.
And while the city consistently ranks as one of the best places to live in the country thanks in part to a strong economy and tons of entertainment, it's not all rainbows and sunshine in Louisville. Some neighborhoods aren't as great as others.
So the question arises, which Louisville neighborhoods are the worst, and which are the best?
Today, we'll use science and data to determine which Louisville hoods need a little tender loving care - the sore thumbs of the Louisville area if you will. Realistically, you can't expect all the neighborhoods to be amazing, although Bonnycastle ranks way above the rest.
We examined 65 of Louisville's neighborhoods to find out the worst places to live. These places don't quite measure up to Louisville's reputation.
The Worst Neighborhoods In Louisville For 2021
So what's the worst neighborhood to live in Louisville for 2021? According to the most recent census data, California looks to be the worst neighborhood in Louisville.
Read on to see how we determined the places around Louisville that need a pick-me-up. And remember, don't blame the messenger.
Once you're done, you can look at the bottom of the story for a complete chart of every neighborhood we looked at from worst to best. Looking for places to avoid outside of the city? You can also check out the worst suburbs of Louisville.
For more Kentucky reading, check out:
- Best Places To Live In Kentucky
- Cheapest Places To Live In Kentucky
- Most Dangerous Cities In Kentucky
The 10 Worst Neighborhoods In Louisville For 2021
/10
Population: 4,377
Rank Last Year: 4 (Up 3)
Median Home Value: $54,562 (6th worst)
Median Income: $19,053 (worst)
More on California: Data
/10
Population: 3,196
Rank Last Year: 1 (No Change)
Median Home Value: $53,288 (4th worst)
Median Income: $26,575 (13th worst)
More on Park Hill: Data
/10
Population: 4,085
Rank Last Year: 13 (Up 10)
Median Home Value: $78,286 (18th worst)
Median Income: $29,169 (19th worst)
More on Park Duvalle: Data
/10
Population: 9,015
Rank Last Year: 3 (Down 1)
Median Home Value: $30,991 (worst)
Median Income: $19,483 (2nd worst)
More on Russell: Data
/10
Population: 826
Rank Last Year: 2 (Down 3)
Median Home Value: $97,500 (27th worst)
Median Income: $24,981 (9th worst)
More on Soutland Park: Data
/10
Population: 10,294
Rank Last Year: 6 (No Change)
Median Home Value: $42,014 (2nd worst)
Median Income: $23,489 (8th worst)
More on Portland: Data
/10
Population: 1,217
Rank Last Year: 15 (Up 8)
Median Home Value: $96,725 (26th worst)
Median Income: $20,201 (4th worst)
More on Limerick: Data
/10
Population: 10,746
Rank Last Year: 16 (Up 8)
Median Home Value: $65,400 (10th worst)
Median Income: $29,058 (18th worst)
More on Shawnee: Data
/10
Population: 5,182
Rank Last Year: 5 (Down 4)
Median Home Value: $54,244 (5th worst)
Median Income: $28,638 (16th worst)
More on Parkland: Data
/10
Population: 1,279
Rank Last Year: 18 (Up 8)
Median Home Value: $106,200 (29th worst)
Median Income: $43,882 (39th worst)
More on Prestonia: Data
How we determined the worst Louisville hoods in 2021
To figure out how bad a place is to live in, we only needed to know what kinds of things people like and then decide what places have the least amount of those things. We threw the following criteria into this analysis in order to get the best, most complete results possible. We used this set of criteria for each neighborhood in Louisville:
- High unemployment (Less jobs)
- Low median income (Less pay)
- Low population density (No things to do)
- Low home values (No one's willing to pay to live here)
- High crime (Estimated)
Then, we ranked each neighborhood in Louisville, Kentucky for each of these criteria from worst to best.
Next, we averaged the individual rankings for each criteria into a "Worst Score".
The neighborhood with the lowest "Worst Score" ranks as the worst neighborhood of Louisville.
Read on below to learn more about these terrible places around Louisville to live. Or skip to the end to see the list of all 65 neighborhoods ranked from worst to best.
This list is a scientific analysis based on real data and is completely unbiased. Hold on to your pants.
The 'hoods around Louisville that are really hoods
Well there you have it -- the worst of the neighborhoods in Louisville with California landing at the bottom of the pack.
As we mentioned earlier, the neighborhoods in Louisville aren't all bad. Bonnycastle takes the cake as the best place to live in Louisville.
We ranked the neighborhoods from worst to best in the chart below.
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